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Archaeo wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote: The Obama victory today is certainly strongly influenced by a sense that the Republicans messed up very badly over the past 8 years.

Seems to be the only reason to me, but thats coming from a state thats 'da poor boy on the block' anyway. Not near the turmoil around here that the rest of the country has seen. Not yet anyway.

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My belief is that the economic changes of the past 30 years, that began in the UK in 1974 with the Consumer Credit Act, and were continued in the 80s under Reagan and Thatcher, are in large part responsible for bring us to the bad economic situation we are now in. If this has been recognised by the electorate, the Obama presidency and control of Congress is an opportunity to start setting things to rights because the old mantras of deregulation and big pay rises for executives will be ignored by the general public. However, if the electorate think the rot began in 2000, they are less likely to support major change.

1) I applaud the brilliant Obama campaign for it's flawless execution, and President-Elect Obama himself for carrying himself with dignity and wisdom. Congratulations on the historic (and uniquely American) victory!

2) I wish us (the we in "yes we can") the best of luck. Our problems are NOT from the last eight years. Quite a few of them pre-date President Bush. Therefore, they will not be solved in eight years by a single party acting alone. The fact that the neo-con philosophy crashed and failed does NOT mean the opposing philosophy is correct. But it has its turn at bat. The smart money would be to hedge your bets, get advice, and adjust. The biggest failing of the neo-con philosophy was ignoring exactly that.

3) And KK is correct. This is merely the starting gun. Historically, parties that sweep into office tend to think the change is an embrace of their beliefs and policies. All too often (as in "every time in our history"), it is REALLY a rejection of the previous direction. The two are not equal (and not even close), and the new majorities tend to push the pendulum too hard and pay for it two years later. This means that this is the largest majority Congress will likely have. How much it changes is up to how smart the majority acts? They get all the credit and all the blame. And there is always more of the latter in our process.

It's a big win, and the country needed this investment in the process. But there are huge obstacles in the path of the new administration, and that isn't counting the ones they will lay themselves. I wish them the best of luck and all my support.

Congratulations to President-Elect Obama and the new Congressmen, Congresswomen, and Senators.

dienekes96 wrote:3) And KK is correct. This is merely the starting gun. Historically, parties that sweep into office tend to think the change is an embrace of their beliefs and policies. All too often (as in "every time in our history"), it is REALLY a rejection of the previous direction. The two are not equal (and not even close), and the new majorities tend to push the pendulum too hard and pay for it two years later. This means that this is the largest majority Congress will likely have. How much it changes is up to how smart the majority acts? They get all the credit and all the blame. And there is always more of the latter in our process.

I think Obama and his people may be smart enough to avoid overreaching. They have a mandate and will use it, don't get me wrong. But as much as his campaign utilized lofty ideals, what really won it for them was their meticulous planning and ground game. To me, that says there's a very practical side to him and his people.

One thing I read months ago about Obama impressed me, or at least distinguished him from our current President. In meetings, he wants advice from ALL his advisors. If someone's being quiet, he specifically calls on them and says "okay, you're being quiet...what are you thinking?" Then once everyone's had their say, Obama makes the decision, they go forward and don't second-guess.

It's a minor thing, I guess. But to me it suggests the guy has leadership, intelligence, and a desire to understand issues and make sure dissenting opinions are heard. It's those latter qualities that I think give him a chance to be a much better President. His inexperience is a valid concern. But IMO he gives the country a better chance to get out of this funk. It's a bit like Reagan in 1980.

I think he's centrist enough (or has become such, in the course of the election) to slap down stuff that gets too crazy. Someone who's shown a flair for understanding the mood of Americans like he has should be able to see the benefit of long-term gain and maintenance of power over short-term overreach and reduction.

1) Obama is probably smart enough to not overreach. But Obama is the "decider"...NOT the legislator. Legislation starts in the House. With the House Leader, currently Nancy Pelosi. They have their own priorities and agenda, and they can send whatever they want to the Senate, which can then send it back to the House or modify it and send it to the President.

The overreach, if and when it happens, will come from the House. Not the White House.

2) Don't believe the hype. Obama's voting record is noticeably to the left of his campaign rhetoric. He is no extremist or anything like that. But the two items DO NOT match up. Several possibilities abound:

a) Obama is his voting record and said what he had to say to get elected. He will lean farther left as the President, and that is a gamble.
b) Obama is what he said during the campaign and voted farther left to get the Democratic nomination. He will be what he said, but there will be grumblings from the House, Senate, and lefty special interest groups.
c) He *was* one but moves to the other in which case that'll be noted in 2012 (for good or for ill, depending on the success of this administration) with the existing attendant concerns to where he moved to.
d) He is in-between what he said and where he voted, and this gives him great flexibility. It's a balancing act.

Make no mistake...McCain was the (slightly) more centrist of the two candidates. But only by a bit. He has a much longer record to review. But people want change. And they shall get it. I just hope it is smart, reasoned, measured, and intelligent change.

I have faith in the President-Elect (with some reservations), but not the House. They WILL overreach.

I just wanted to say thanks America, my earnest defence of you is justified. I stayed up till 6 in the morning watching the coverage and it was incredible. It's a shame no-one can get over the fact he's black, we get it, move on, I'm far more impressed with the fact he's left leaning than anything else. Edit: Aimed at the press not posters.

Greebynog wrote:I just wanted to say thanks America, my earnest defence of you is justified. I stayed up till 6 in the morning watching the coverage and it was incredible. It's a shame no-one can get over the fact he's black, we get it, move on, I'm far more impressed with the fact he's left leaning than anything else. Edit: Aimed at the press not posters.

I can't understand why you would stay up that late, when this isn't even your country. I, on the other hand, didn't feel motivated to get up and take a five minute trip to stand in a short line to actually vote.

I must have an entirely different worldview than most people.

Grignard wrote:

Greebynog wrote:I just wanted to say thanks America, my earnest defence of you is justified. I stayed up till 6 in the morning watching the coverage and it was incredible. It's a shame no-one can get over the fact he's black, we get it, move on, I'm far more impressed with the fact he's left leaning than anything else. Edit: Aimed at the press not posters.

I can't understand why you would stay up that late, when this isn't even your country. I, on the other hand, didn't feel motivated to get up and take a five minute trip to stand in a short line to actually vote.

I must have an entirely different worldview than most people.

I'm a former politics student, have been following the election with intense interest, was hugely entertained by all the bickering on the BBC's coverage and like to stay up late anyhow. I loved it.

I left work at 4pm, picked up my wife, and went to the polls. Voting only took a few minutes, since I was already registered. One person ahead of me in line. The line for same-day registrations was long, but it was all in the building. Maybe 30 or 40 people?

My wife and I watched about seven and a half solid hours of coverage. From 5:30pm to 1am, flipping between CNN, BBC America, MSNBC and Fox. The first hour to hour and a half were a bit nerve-wracking. After that it got better. 11pm was amazing. And McCain and Obama's speeches were sublime.

I agree that the bickering on the BBC was fun; John Bolton was particularly amusing.

I voted three weeks early and banged my head into the wall screaming for this horrorfest to be over. Nothing like 10 annoying robo calls a day from both sides.

Cheese Elemental wrote:Good for you guys. The Lord of Change has finally taken over from the Blood God. Maybe he can remove Nurgle's Rot from the economy too.

I'm anxious to see what happens when Slaanesh takes power...

Iorek wrote:As for all of you who want to flee the country, for shame. If you don't like the way things are here, STAY and FIX them. Become politically active. Run for local office. Write op-ed pieces. Do however much you think you need to, but don't just run away. Love your country and do her proud.

Thank you, I'm glad I'm not the only who thinks that! I can personally speak to this now, as not only did I donate to a campaign, but convinced one of my friends to drive her lazy to the polls. At least now if she feels she's unhappy with this country she can voice her opinion as well as the others that also took part.